Develop smart biochar-based control release nitrogen fertilizers to improve the sustainability of corn production

Conventional nitrogen (N) fertilizers tend to dissolve in the water quickly without allowing sufficient time for the plants to uptake the N nutrient. The consequence is low N use efficiency (NUE) (NUE < 50%) due to losses by volatilization of N in air, runoff, and leaching in the field that is rising severe environmental pollution. Controlled-release fertilizers (CRFs) uses for the controlled release of N nutrients as an innovative solution. Research conducted using different compositions and coating methods for CRFs yet underdeveloped provides inadequate release control from fertilizer particles. The complexity of the preparation methods, biodegradability, and other physical properties are questionable in the modern agriculture sustainability achievement. This study aims to develop a novel biochar-based controlled-release N fertilizer (BCRNF) by explicitly formulating the nitrogen fertilizer particles, using polypropylene as coating material applied via the dipping method.

This research focuses on selecting cost-effective and environmentally friendly coating materials for the fabrication of biochar-based controlled-release nitrogen fertilizers (BCRNFs) to address the challenges, such as nitrogen use efficiency (NUE), N lost through leaching, volatilization, and runoff into the water systems. To address economic challenges, biodegradable polypropylene (PP) was selected in this study to examine its economic viability and biodegradability in the BCRNF fabrication and application. This material was used to coat the BCRNF particles using a dipping method, which enables the particles to control the release of nitrogen, synchronizing with the nitrogen uptake of crops. The new environmentally friendly fertilizer BCRNF was fabricated in a pelletizing machine and coated with PP 15(%). The results show that the release of Nitrogen was 99.65 (%) for the coated samples which corresponded to 8 (hr), and it can be compromised depending on the efficiency of the dipping method. The produced particles showed more successes on plants growth, health, and overall yield on the wheat trial in the greenhouse.